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A Columbia University student was arrested early Thursday by federal immigration agents who gained entry to a campus residence by claiming they were searching for a "missing person," according to her attorneys and the school's president. The student, Ellie Aghayeva, is a senior from Azerbaijan who is studying neuroscience and political science, her lawyers said. A self-described content creator, she frequently shares inspirational stories and tips about navigating college as an immigrant to her sizable social media audience. At around 7:00 am on Thursday morning, Aghayeva posted a message to her more than 100,000 followers on Instagram. "DHS illegally arrested me. Please help," she wrote, referring to the Department of Homeland Security. A photo accompanying the post appeared to show the backseat of a vehicle. In an emergency petition filed Thursday, attorneys for Aghayeva said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement entered her university-owned apartment in Manhattan early Thursday, .
An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian graduate student who led protests at Columbia University against Israel and the war in Gaza. In a ruling made public Tuesday, the judge, Nina Froes, said she had terminated the case because of a procedural misstep by government attorneys, who failed to properly certify an official document they intended to use as evidence. The Trump administration may appeal the decision. But the ruling marked the latest setback for the federal government's sweeping effort to expel pro-Palestinian campus activists and others who expressed criticism of Israel. Last month, a separate immigration blocked the government's attempt to deport a Tufts University graduate student, Rumeysa Ozturk, over an op-ed criticizing the school's response to the war in Gaza. Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident of the US for the last decade, was born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He was arrested
The Trump administration is suing the local government of Washington, DC, over its gun laws, alleging that restrictions on certain semiautomatic weapons run afoul of Second Amendment rights. The US Department of Justice filed its lawsuit Monday in US District Court in the District of Columbia, naming Washington's Metropolitan Police Department and outgoing Chief of Police Pamela Smith as defendants and setting up another potentially seismic clash on how broadly the courts interpret individual gun possession rights. The United States of America brings this lawsuit to protect the rights that have been guaranteed for 234 years and which the Supreme Court has explicitly reaffirmed several times over the last two decades, the Justice Department states. It's the second such lawsuit the administration has filed this month: The Justice Department also is suing the US Virgin Islands, alleging the US territory is obstructing and systematically denying American citizens the right to possess an
President Donald Trump said Sunday he would slash US funding to Colombia because the country's leader does nothing to stop drug production, in what is the latest sign of friction between Washington and one of its closest allies in Latin America. In a social media post, Trump referred to Colombian President Gustavo Petro as an illegal drug dealer who is low rated and very unpopular. He warned that Petro better close up drug operations or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely. Trump, while at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, wrote on his Truth Social platform that Petro is strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields across Colombia, which the Republican president spelled as Columbia. Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America, Trump said. AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WIL
For decades, T-shirts, sweatshirts and other clothing under the Columbia Sportswear brand and clothing emblazoned with the Columbia University name coexisted more or less peacefully without confusion. But now, the Portland-based outdoor retailer has sued the New York-based university over alleged trademark infringement and a breach of contract, among other charges. It claims that the university's merchandise looks too similar to what's being sold at more than 800 retail locations, including more than 150 of its branded stores, as well as its website and third-party marketplaces. In a lawsuit filed July 23 in the US District Court for the District of Oregon, Columbia Sportswear, whose roots date back to 1938, alleges that the university intentionally violated an agreement the parties signed on June 13, 2023. That agreement dictated how the university could use the word Columbia on its own apparel. As part of the pact, the university could feature Columbia on its merchandise provided
Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus, the university announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay the $200 million settlement over three years to the federal government, the university said. It will also pay $21 million to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty, acting University President Claire Shipman said. The administration pulled the funding, because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia then agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the ...
Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia has since
A politically motivated hacker breached Columbia University's data systems last week, stealing troves of student documents while briefly shutting down the school's computer systems, a university official said. The June 24 cyberattack prompted widespread network outages on campus, locking students and staff out of their email accounts, coursework and video conference software for several hours. On the same day, images of President Donald Trump's smiling face appeared on several public monitors across the Manhattan campus. A spokesperson for Columbia declined to elaborate on the political motivations behind the attack. But they described a highly sophisticated hacktivist who had gained access to private student records in an attempt to further a political agenda. The spokesperson said it was unclear if the Trump photo display was connected to the data breach. We are investigating the scope of the apparent theft and will share our findings with the University community as well as anyo
At least four people were killed in Colombia on Tuesday as rebel groups detonated bombs near police stations in the city of Cali and the neighbouring Cauca province, according to authorities. Military and police spokespeople blamed the attacks on the FARC-EMC, a group led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who broke away from the group after it signed a peace deal with the government in 2016. Authorities said the rebels placed bombs in cars and motorcycles that were parked near police stations. The attacks on the police stations come just days after Miguel Uribe, a conservative presidential candidate, was shot during a rally in Bogota. Authorities say they are investigating who was behind the attack on Uribe, who is in a critical condition in hospital in Bogota. Colombia's government has struggled to contain violence in urban and rural areas as several rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia follow
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck central Colombia early Sunday, authorities said. No casualties were immediately reported. The quake hit 17 kilometres northeast of Paratebueno, a city about 116 miles southeast of the capital, Bogota. The US Geological Service reported the quake hit at 8:08 a.m. (1308 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres. The Colombian Geological Service reported additional tremors with magnitudes ranging from 4 to 4.6 occurred in the same area minutes later. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said on X that it was assessing the situation in several municipalities. Images posted on social media showed people in Bogota who felt the tremor some left their workplaces to seek safety. Footage from rural areas indicated there was no damage. Colombia lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent seismic and volcanic activity.